CHAPTER TWELVE.
A FORMIDABLE OBSTRUCTION.
Explanations having been hastily exchanged, the trio of young Boersturned face toward the camp. Burning to make known the joyful news,Rynwald and Piet's brother would have gone back at a gallop, and so Piethimself. But there was something to delay them: this the horse latechased by wilde-honden. The rain, at first refreshing the animal, hadafterwards produced an opposite effect, and the result of the suddenchange from heat to chill was a founder, the creature being now barelyable to keep on its legs. As it could not carry him further withoutcruelty, its merciful master, dismounting, led it along.
This entailed slow progress, and thinking of those in the camp, withanxieties to be relieved, young Rynwald proposed galloping on ahead. Tothis neither of the others objected, and he was about spurring away fromthem, when there arose another obstruction, of a still more formidablekind. An animal it was, seen standing right on the track he would haveto take--one that could not be passed with impunity. Many animals werethere, for it was where several other buffaloes had been shot down,whose carcases, now mangled, were surrounded by jackals, hyaenas, andvultures. But it was not any of these that stood in Hendrik Rynwald'sway, in an attitude of angry menace. Instead, the king and master ofthem all--a lion; one of the largest and fiercest-looking any of theyoung hunters had ever seen, much less encountered. The tawny bruteappeared as though he had but late arrived on the ground, coming in atthe end of the feast to find only bare bones; and, being hungry, thedisappointment had roused his rage to the highest pitch of fury. Havingcaught sight of the oncoming horsemen, he evidently intended venting hisspleen, as well as appeasing his hunger, on one or other of them. Hestood crouched and roaring, with mane erect and tail oscillating to andfro; both the attitude and action well-known to lion-hunters asindicative of greatest danger.
The two bestriding fresh horses need not have much feared theblack-maned brute, and for that matter could have avoided an encounterwith it by riding wide away and around. For to a man well mounted thelion is only dangerous in thicket, or jungle, hindering free action tothe horse. But circumstanced as they were, the young Boers saw thatonly two of their horses had a fair chance of escaping thus, and perhapsbut two of themselves. The third must surely come to grief in anyattempt at shunning the lion, and to face it boldly could not well haveworse result; so facing it was instantly determined on. Indeed, theresolve could not have been delayed; as at this place the veldt wasovergrown with tall grass, and they were close to the danger beforesighting it--so close, that in a dozen of his cat-like leaps the lionmight at any moment launch himself in their midst.
Less from any hope of his now staggering steed helping him to escape,than the impulse of instinct--or rather habit--Piet Van Dorn sprang backinto the saddle; and the three, drawing their horses' heads together,remained at halt with their eyes fixed on the leeuw. The brute waswithin range of their roers, and the question was whether all threeshould fire together, or in succession.
Not much time was allowed them for determination, in fact, not any.Scarce had they their guns in readiness when, with a roar loud as lastnight's thunder, the lion came vaulting towards them.
The three pulled trigger almost simultaneously; two of them, HendrikRynwald and the younger Van Dorn, to miss, their frightened horses asthey danced about spoiling their aim. Different was it with that riddenby Piet, whose forlorn condition was, possibly, as unexpectedly thesaving of his own and master's life. Too far gone even for affright, hestood stock still; nor budged an inch, till the roer, with muzzleprojected beyond his ears, belched forth flame and smoke; a bullet atthe same time, which striking the leeuw fair on the frontlet, wentcrashing through its skull. As a result the creature, so dreaded,tumbled instantly over like a shot rabbit, and lay in the long grassequally harmless.
With all South Africans, be they natives, colonists, Vee-Boers, orother, the killing of a lion is an event to be chronicled, and he whokills one is deemed to have performed a feat worthy of great praise; ofcourse all the greater when one of such size as that which had fallen toPiet Van Dorn's bullet. Its skin would be a spoil indeed, and hedetermined taking it with him. There was no longer such need for hasteon his part, as Hendrik Rynwald could now carry out his originalintention of preceding to camp--which he did.
Dismounting again, the brothers set about stripping the leeuw of itspelt; an operation which cost them but a few minutes' time, both beingused to such work. Then with the skin thrown over the saddle, theycontinued on toward the timber, Piet leading his horse as before.
In another half-hour, or so, they were near enough the camp-ground tomake out the figures of the men and animals that occupied it; to seesomething, moreover, which filled them with surprise, even amazement.There was commotion in the laager and around it, people rushingexcitedly hither and thither; horses and oxen being caught up and ledhurriedly from point to point. Borne on the still air also they couldhear voices, shouts, uttered in alarm as the tone testified.
In wonder at what it all meant, the brothers pushed faster forward.Piet, no longer so tender with his halting steed, forced the animal intoa trot, himself running alongside. And when within nearer view theirwonder was no less, instead greater, and now with fear added. For theysaw the waggons drawn out upon the open veldt, with the oxen in longline attached to the trek-touws, while the horses were all under saddleand bridled. Clearly the camp was being broken up, and about to beabandoned. But for what reason? Had the Matabele turned hostile, andwas a party of them threatening attack? But no, it could not be that.If attacked, the laager would be the best place for resistance; farsafer than with the waggons _on trek_. What then could be causing amovement so unexpected--so inexplicable? The two youths were in a verymaze of mystification. But not much longer were they left in it. Whenwithin half a mile of the camp, a horseman came riding in all hastetowards them--Hendrik Rynwald.
"What is it?" hailed they, soon as he was within hearing.
To receive for answer, "The _tsetse_! The _tsetse_!"